Full Explanation Is Vital On Acquiring Of Degree

July 6, 1985

PORT EVERGLADES commissioners deserve a full explanation from the port director of how a top port executive was able to receive a masters degree in business administration at public expense during working hours.

Port Director James Connolly has said he will investigate how Larry Dessler, the port`s $48,000-a-year marketing director, spent his work time while earning a degree at Barry University in Miami. The $9,000 cost of the degree also was paid by the port.

The matter also is under investigation by the Broward County State Attorney`s Office, which is looking into possible criminal violations of law.

Connolly previously had advised the commission that Dessler conformed to port policy that requires employees to attend classes on their own time.

But that does not appear to be the case.

Dessler conceded that he received work pay for at least 13 of the class days, which amounted to about $2,000. Port records confirm that Dessler signed time sheets indicating he worked many Fridays when he attended class. Time sheets also indicate that Dessler used only 2 1/2 personal-leave days for his college time.

The truth may be found beyond the official documents, and Dessler may indeed have retroactively traded vacation time for class time after he signed the time sheets or he may have worked unreported overtime on other days.

But it seems clear that Dessler, at the very least, played loose with the port`s policy that employees use vacation time or personal time to take courses paid for with tax dollars. The time sheets should have indicated the correct hours he put in on the job.

This is not the first time Dessler has been accused of breaking port employee guidelines. Dessler was reprimanded last month for accepting a free, two-week Caribbean vacation from a cruise line company in 1982, and Dessler agreed to pay $2,000 to Home Line Cruises.

Although not every port commissioner is concerned about how many hours Dessler put in as the port`s marketing director (Commissioner Michael Marinelli said it was not his job to oversee the conduct of port executives), each of the elected commissioners should be seriously perturbed.

The evidence gathered from port documents indicates falsified time sheets and violations of port policy. That`s serious business, especially when the public foots the bill for both Dessler`s salary and education.